Hello Again:
Before I leave Tilcara, Argentina, I must tell you of one of those special moments. During one of my walks while Joy was out painting, I came across the flag, which represents one of the indigenous groups. It is multi-coloured with squares arranged diagonally and I know that the group it represents, Aymara or Quechuan, is identified in something that I have read, maybe even Dr. Mendez book of Bolivian photographs. Anyway, while I was looking at the flag, a man came out of the restaurant, and we began talking. Turned out that he was the musician featured at the restaurant that evening and he invited me to return later. He offered to sell me the flag, as it turned out that he owned the restaurant as well. I foolishly declined. I told Joy about my new friend and she suggested that we return for dinner. We did and he played a mixture of jazz and traditional music on the pipes and the saxaphone just for us, as we were the only ones there. After he joined us and we had this great conversation with him about his career of over 30 years in Paris. Given our obvious fluency in Spanish it was an unusual conversation, about equal parts English, Spanish and French. I really had to dig back for the French that I had learned in the '60s. It was a fun evening and he was a very interesting person with an interesting life. He had returned to his roots in Tilcara, although he planned to return to Paris for a few months every year. By the way, the Llama steak that I had was something else. Don´t worry Yolande, this one died of old age, for certain.
The delightful bus trip to the border, half spent in the front seats of the top floor of one of those double-decker buses, climbed through a very dry river valley to about 3900 meters and then down to the border. The colourful cliffs were rippled and lined with a veritable artist´s palette (I promised Joy that I would get that one in) of colour. You should read her blog for the correct description through an artist´s eye. We slowed down for a herd of burros on the road, and then Llamas, and, later, goats. The fences didn´t seem to be effective.
We walked across the border to Villazon and found a nice hostel for $13 and walked to the train station. There are two train routes still operating passenger service, and as a train lover, I have been dying to try it. There was absolutely no difficulty getting tickets for "Exectivo" class for today, so we are off to Tupizi at 3pm.
One last observation on Argentina. The buses are generally in very good condition, there are lots of them and they are not expensive. They are usually on time, although our last one was the 9:15am bus which eventually left at 11:00am. That is the joy of being in no rush. My habit of wondering "what´s the worst that can happen?" is very useful at those times.
You must read Joy´s next blog about the young women in Tilcara. She really has a way with words.
We are in Bolivia, where the cultures are obvious and very different from what we are used to. It is funny, but it has a comfortable and safe feeling, even though this is a border town.
Enough for now;
Jim
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Short Entry
Hi Folks:
This is mostly aimed at those that may be part of any search party that may be mounted to look for two old fogeys lost in South America. While this place is beautiful and the setting couldn´t be beat, it is a little more than we wish to pay for just about everything. It seems to be the #1 vacation destination for hoards of 20 somethings. I am not certain why, or what they are looking for, but we certainly don´t fit. So tomorrow we are off for Bolivia, which was our target in the first place. This time we had to cross the continent (writer´s licence) to get there, but we are sure that it will be worth it.
Last year, our first and last days in Bolivia were memorable, as some of you will remember. After we crossed the border into Bolivia last year we had to get off the bus and decorate it and ourselves, in the process, because of Carnivale. We found the welcome and the people extremely friendly. Our last day, was the day that Jim got invited to assist in the blessing of the cars in Copacobana. A kind and generous family at the end of the line with 3 vehicles got the strange looking tourist to run around their vehicles (at 4,000 meters in altitude), spraying them with beer. Anyway that was last year, and we are wondering what Bolivia has in store for us this year.
Today, Joy has been painting up a storm and has finished 3 1/4 sheet paintings so far. She also did sketches of the 2 cleaning staff and gave them to the women. They went home happy with their ¨Lakings¨. Joy is really happy when she is painting, but I fear that she will run out of paper. She has already done more paintings than last year. I have been wandering around and keeping out of trouble. I visited ¨Pucara¨which is a pre-Hispanic village on a prominent hill in the middle of the relatively narrow valley in which Tilcara rests. It is a naturally defensible position and there were adobe houses built there up to 1957. I have to admit that I was more impressedby the garden that they have just inside the entrance to Pucara. I will never tire of seeing flowering cactus and when I bring my pictures to your place, I am sure that you won´t either.
Anyway siesta is over and it will be dinner time soon.
Jim
This is mostly aimed at those that may be part of any search party that may be mounted to look for two old fogeys lost in South America. While this place is beautiful and the setting couldn´t be beat, it is a little more than we wish to pay for just about everything. It seems to be the #1 vacation destination for hoards of 20 somethings. I am not certain why, or what they are looking for, but we certainly don´t fit. So tomorrow we are off for Bolivia, which was our target in the first place. This time we had to cross the continent (writer´s licence) to get there, but we are sure that it will be worth it.
Last year, our first and last days in Bolivia were memorable, as some of you will remember. After we crossed the border into Bolivia last year we had to get off the bus and decorate it and ourselves, in the process, because of Carnivale. We found the welcome and the people extremely friendly. Our last day, was the day that Jim got invited to assist in the blessing of the cars in Copacobana. A kind and generous family at the end of the line with 3 vehicles got the strange looking tourist to run around their vehicles (at 4,000 meters in altitude), spraying them with beer. Anyway that was last year, and we are wondering what Bolivia has in store for us this year.
Today, Joy has been painting up a storm and has finished 3 1/4 sheet paintings so far. She also did sketches of the 2 cleaning staff and gave them to the women. They went home happy with their ¨Lakings¨. Joy is really happy when she is painting, but I fear that she will run out of paper. She has already done more paintings than last year. I have been wandering around and keeping out of trouble. I visited ¨Pucara¨which is a pre-Hispanic village on a prominent hill in the middle of the relatively narrow valley in which Tilcara rests. It is a naturally defensible position and there were adobe houses built there up to 1957. I have to admit that I was more impressedby the garden that they have just inside the entrance to Pucara. I will never tire of seeing flowering cactus and when I bring my pictures to your place, I am sure that you won´t either.
Anyway siesta is over and it will be dinner time soon.
Jim
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sorry Skipped to Tilcara
Hi Folks:
Sorry that I am a little slow with this entry as I promised one from Salta. After a long, but relatively quick bus ride from Resistancia, we arrived early (6am) in Salta. It appears that Resistancia was as far South as we will get on this trip, as we turn North from here.
Salta is a very beautiful city, in a valley surrounded by hills.
As usual, following the guide in the ¨wee¨hours of the morning, we ended up at the Hotel Colonial, which, while perfectly placed on the main square, was more than three times the cost in the guide. We have come to expect an increase, but the Argentine increases are ridiculous. The hotel had everything; computer, AC, TV (Joy hates the last 2) and breakfast (Joy´s favourite) included, so we stayed. That and the early morning arrival.
The next day we toured the many historical and art museos, although we skipped the one with the 3 mummies (only one on show at a time) that had been found in the high mountains (virgin sacrifices you know). Salta has 2 very interesting aspects; one good and one bad. They have 2 parallel streets blocked off as pedestrian malls (about three blocks each) near the central square. People go around and around on these and there is always something happening. You can have a mime or Barney the dinosaur. Last night we had these 2 young guys doing an impromptu gymnastic show with some breakdancing thrown in. Watching the one young fellow do ¨no hand¨cartwheels on concrete was enough to draw a gasp out of even a hardened traveller like our Joy. He also had his shirt rolled up to show that his BFI was pretty darned good! Joy appreciated that.
The high-light of the first day was Joy seducing (sorry kids) me onto the gondola for the ride up Cerro San Bernardino, which over-looks the city. I want it on record that I did not take one of Dr. Karen´s flying pills nor any rum (haven´t been able to find that yet). I made it and quite enjoyed it as long as I looked forward. We did have to walk down, though. Yesterday, Joy did a beautiful painting of one of the many gorgeous balconies in this very colonial city. After we solved the mysteries of the municipal bus routes to go to the Artisan market. That brings me to the other thing about Salta. The standard fare for a bus anywhere in the city is 1peso and 25 centavos. But it is almost impossible to get a 25 centavo piece, so many tourists end up paying 1 peso and 50 centavos. There either should be more 25 centavo pieces in circulation, or they should change the rate. That is my rant for the day!
This morning we were up early to get the bus to San Francisco de Jujuy which everyone just calls Jujuy, which is pronounce ¨Who-whooie¨. Not certain what the city fathers were on to come up with that. Maybe my ethnocentricity is showing, but .......... We got our tickets and found our bus, loaded our bags and then located our seats. One was upstairs at the back and one was downstairs. When I pointed it out, I was told to sit anywhere. As there were only 2 others on the bus and it was 25 minutes to departure, I found that strange. About 2 minutes later, we pulled away from the dock and were on our way with the downstairs of one of those bigs 2 floor buses to ourselves. Talk about the lap of luxury. Then there were no stops and we were in Jujuy in an hour and a half.
With a one hour lay-over we were on our way to Tilcara, which the guide said was beautiful and an artists colony to boot. When we got here we found party central as the place was filled with young Argentinian hikers. The scenery here and on the way here is spectacular and the town is more our size, but prices are very high and it is not our scene. We are in a beautiful place that we cannot afford, but we will try another day and see, before moving on toward Bolivia.
Time for siesta. The weather cooled down and they have Guilmes Red cervasa here which is really good. Oh yes, despite the weather cooling somewhat, it is still in the eighties, so a cervasa break is essential!
Jim
Sorry that I am a little slow with this entry as I promised one from Salta. After a long, but relatively quick bus ride from Resistancia, we arrived early (6am) in Salta. It appears that Resistancia was as far South as we will get on this trip, as we turn North from here.
Salta is a very beautiful city, in a valley surrounded by hills.
As usual, following the guide in the ¨wee¨hours of the morning, we ended up at the Hotel Colonial, which, while perfectly placed on the main square, was more than three times the cost in the guide. We have come to expect an increase, but the Argentine increases are ridiculous. The hotel had everything; computer, AC, TV (Joy hates the last 2) and breakfast (Joy´s favourite) included, so we stayed. That and the early morning arrival.
The next day we toured the many historical and art museos, although we skipped the one with the 3 mummies (only one on show at a time) that had been found in the high mountains (virgin sacrifices you know). Salta has 2 very interesting aspects; one good and one bad. They have 2 parallel streets blocked off as pedestrian malls (about three blocks each) near the central square. People go around and around on these and there is always something happening. You can have a mime or Barney the dinosaur. Last night we had these 2 young guys doing an impromptu gymnastic show with some breakdancing thrown in. Watching the one young fellow do ¨no hand¨cartwheels on concrete was enough to draw a gasp out of even a hardened traveller like our Joy. He also had his shirt rolled up to show that his BFI was pretty darned good! Joy appreciated that.
The high-light of the first day was Joy seducing (sorry kids) me onto the gondola for the ride up Cerro San Bernardino, which over-looks the city. I want it on record that I did not take one of Dr. Karen´s flying pills nor any rum (haven´t been able to find that yet). I made it and quite enjoyed it as long as I looked forward. We did have to walk down, though. Yesterday, Joy did a beautiful painting of one of the many gorgeous balconies in this very colonial city. After we solved the mysteries of the municipal bus routes to go to the Artisan market. That brings me to the other thing about Salta. The standard fare for a bus anywhere in the city is 1peso and 25 centavos. But it is almost impossible to get a 25 centavo piece, so many tourists end up paying 1 peso and 50 centavos. There either should be more 25 centavo pieces in circulation, or they should change the rate. That is my rant for the day!
This morning we were up early to get the bus to San Francisco de Jujuy which everyone just calls Jujuy, which is pronounce ¨Who-whooie¨. Not certain what the city fathers were on to come up with that. Maybe my ethnocentricity is showing, but .......... We got our tickets and found our bus, loaded our bags and then located our seats. One was upstairs at the back and one was downstairs. When I pointed it out, I was told to sit anywhere. As there were only 2 others on the bus and it was 25 minutes to departure, I found that strange. About 2 minutes later, we pulled away from the dock and were on our way with the downstairs of one of those bigs 2 floor buses to ourselves. Talk about the lap of luxury. Then there were no stops and we were in Jujuy in an hour and a half.
With a one hour lay-over we were on our way to Tilcara, which the guide said was beautiful and an artists colony to boot. When we got here we found party central as the place was filled with young Argentinian hikers. The scenery here and on the way here is spectacular and the town is more our size, but prices are very high and it is not our scene. We are in a beautiful place that we cannot afford, but we will try another day and see, before moving on toward Bolivia.
Time for siesta. The weather cooled down and they have Guilmes Red cervasa here which is really good. Oh yes, despite the weather cooling somewhat, it is still in the eighties, so a cervasa break is essential!
Jim
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Argentina!
Hello Again:
First to close the book, maybe, on Paraguay, as we are now in Resistencia, Argentina. I must correct my last entry as the great little spot that we stayed in in Asencion was ¨Pension(e) da Silva¨. Highly recommended in downtown Asencion and with 2 great restaurants right by.
Asencion is a beautiful city with some of the nicest colonial architecture and great old buildings within walking distance of the pension. Also,the houses out in the area of the embassies are quite spectacular. There were a number of galleries and museos in the downtown and most were open except on Sunday. We will always be grateful to Arnaldo Benitez, our Paraguayan friend,for helping us with our itinerary when we dropped in to his office in Cuidad del Este, following the guidebook.
We left for the bus depot at about 10am, hoping to catch the 1pm bus to Resistencia, and as sometimes happens found out that the bus leaves at 3pm. So we hung out at the bus depot watching people and using the internet, etc. When we had arrived back at our room, we has a nice note in our door from Bryan Wattie, a nice man from Perth-Andover, N.B. via Pearson College on Vancouver Island. He addressed it to the ¨lovely NS couple¨and said some very complementary things about the old guy that he had net the previous day. That would be me, surprisingly. We did have a great talk and I learned again that the world is in good hands with people like Bryan coming along to care for it. He and a friend from Pearson (new grads) are in Brazil to work on projects and attend a conference. I am now firmly convinced of the value of programs like Pearson. I must say that being a ¨lovely couple¨is a come down from last year´s trip when we were called ¨the most beautiful couple she had ever seen¨by a young woman, whom we hadn´t even met. Don´t you love young folk with great eyes and good judgement!
Once we got on the bus, it was a short ride to the border. Borders are always an adventure and this was a 2 hour adventure! The immigration folks has their act together as the wickets for Paraguay and Argentina were side-by-side and that part of the process went relatively quickly. Customs was another story, as they had 5 of these big buses to check out and everyone had to get out their bags and put them through a scanner, before re-loading. Long, hot process!
As a result of the time at the border and the 1 hour time change we didn´t get into Resistencia until 11pm, but were able to get a bed and get to sleep.
Yesterday we spent the day wandering Resistencia, looking at sculptures (they are everywhere and this is called the city of sculptures). They also have a convenient Tourist Bureau in the central plaza. Unfortunately many of the museos were not open or difficult to find. We also discovered that they follow the very sensible ¨siesta¨routine here. While a number of stores were closed for vacation, after 12:30pm or so, the city closes until 5pm. It is anazing for us to see the roads empty in the middle of the day, but in the heat, you quickly realize the intelligence of taking it easy in the shade.
In the course of our wandering later (after siesta), we did have one of those magic events which are the high-points of our style of wandering. We found a cultural centre, which was closed at the same time as a young fellow tried the door. We followed him around to a back door and decided to risk following him in. As a result we were treated to a beautiful musical concert, which was obviously a rehearsal for a subsequent event. The voices were absolutely beautiful and, even though I did not understand the obviously emotional spoken parts, I admit to being almodt in tears at the beauty of it all. At these times, you stay against the back wall and hope that the people allow you to stay and understand how much the opportunity means to you.
One last note in comparing Paraguay with Argentina, the cars are different. The traffic in Paraguay had many buses, notocycles, and trucks and not as many cars. But the cars that were there all seemed to be Mercedes. Here there is more of a variety of cars with a variety of ages and mostly smaller. But there are more cars, and many bicycles, and scooters, as opposed to motocycles. Still none of the honking that I remember from Peru and Bolivia.
Enough for now as we should start planning our siesta and the trip to the bus terminal. If things go well, my next post will be from Salta, in NW Argentina as we make our way to the Bolivian border.
Jim
First to close the book, maybe, on Paraguay, as we are now in Resistencia, Argentina. I must correct my last entry as the great little spot that we stayed in in Asencion was ¨Pension(e) da Silva¨. Highly recommended in downtown Asencion and with 2 great restaurants right by.
Asencion is a beautiful city with some of the nicest colonial architecture and great old buildings within walking distance of the pension. Also,the houses out in the area of the embassies are quite spectacular. There were a number of galleries and museos in the downtown and most were open except on Sunday. We will always be grateful to Arnaldo Benitez, our Paraguayan friend,for helping us with our itinerary when we dropped in to his office in Cuidad del Este, following the guidebook.
We left for the bus depot at about 10am, hoping to catch the 1pm bus to Resistencia, and as sometimes happens found out that the bus leaves at 3pm. So we hung out at the bus depot watching people and using the internet, etc. When we had arrived back at our room, we has a nice note in our door from Bryan Wattie, a nice man from Perth-Andover, N.B. via Pearson College on Vancouver Island. He addressed it to the ¨lovely NS couple¨and said some very complementary things about the old guy that he had net the previous day. That would be me, surprisingly. We did have a great talk and I learned again that the world is in good hands with people like Bryan coming along to care for it. He and a friend from Pearson (new grads) are in Brazil to work on projects and attend a conference. I am now firmly convinced of the value of programs like Pearson. I must say that being a ¨lovely couple¨is a come down from last year´s trip when we were called ¨the most beautiful couple she had ever seen¨by a young woman, whom we hadn´t even met. Don´t you love young folk with great eyes and good judgement!
Once we got on the bus, it was a short ride to the border. Borders are always an adventure and this was a 2 hour adventure! The immigration folks has their act together as the wickets for Paraguay and Argentina were side-by-side and that part of the process went relatively quickly. Customs was another story, as they had 5 of these big buses to check out and everyone had to get out their bags and put them through a scanner, before re-loading. Long, hot process!
As a result of the time at the border and the 1 hour time change we didn´t get into Resistencia until 11pm, but were able to get a bed and get to sleep.
Yesterday we spent the day wandering Resistencia, looking at sculptures (they are everywhere and this is called the city of sculptures). They also have a convenient Tourist Bureau in the central plaza. Unfortunately many of the museos were not open or difficult to find. We also discovered that they follow the very sensible ¨siesta¨routine here. While a number of stores were closed for vacation, after 12:30pm or so, the city closes until 5pm. It is anazing for us to see the roads empty in the middle of the day, but in the heat, you quickly realize the intelligence of taking it easy in the shade.
In the course of our wandering later (after siesta), we did have one of those magic events which are the high-points of our style of wandering. We found a cultural centre, which was closed at the same time as a young fellow tried the door. We followed him around to a back door and decided to risk following him in. As a result we were treated to a beautiful musical concert, which was obviously a rehearsal for a subsequent event. The voices were absolutely beautiful and, even though I did not understand the obviously emotional spoken parts, I admit to being almodt in tears at the beauty of it all. At these times, you stay against the back wall and hope that the people allow you to stay and understand how much the opportunity means to you.
One last note in comparing Paraguay with Argentina, the cars are different. The traffic in Paraguay had many buses, notocycles, and trucks and not as many cars. But the cars that were there all seemed to be Mercedes. Here there is more of a variety of cars with a variety of ages and mostly smaller. But there are more cars, and many bicycles, and scooters, as opposed to motocycles. Still none of the honking that I remember from Peru and Bolivia.
Enough for now as we should start planning our siesta and the trip to the bus terminal. If things go well, my next post will be from Salta, in NW Argentina as we make our way to the Bolivian border.
Jim
Monday, January 19, 2009
Still Here
Hi Folks:
Still in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.
Yesterday, being Sunday none of the museums or stores were open down town, so we planned to bus out to the ´Big Mall´. Unfortunately the day started with a twist as Joy decided (as I got out of the shower at 9am) that we should change hotels as she felt trapped in a room with a noisy air conditioner and a tv that was on accasionally. So we rushed to visit the new place which has much more character and is more atractive in a rustic way. We rushed back to pack and them checked out and ate the free breakfast at the hotel we were leaving and got settled in at the new place by 10:30. I must admit that I grumbled about the move, but it is much more to our liking and a little cheaper. It is called Residential San Roque and has two of our favourite (see how fast you can settle in?) eating places on the same corner.
After we settled in, we were off to try the local bus system to head to ´Museo del Bario´and ´Shopping del Sol´. We had checked out the buses and I followed carefully on the map. Good thing because this particular bus used a slightly different route than expected. The city buses go fast and somewhat recklessly (the term kamikaze is used in the guide book). The city gets so quiet on a Sunday that it was not nearly that exciting. Anyway, I figured a corner that was somewhat close and we got off and walked. After about a 2 hour walk in heat and more heat, we found the museo, to discover that it wasn´t open (although it was supposed to be). Fortunately the air-conditioned mall was open by this time and we were saved!
The main reason for going to the mall was to get some English language books, as Joy was out and I was getting close. While we found the books very expensive, particularly by Paraguayan standards, we bit the bullet and bought quite a few. Then it was off to the food court to think about lunch while sipping some cervasa (did I mention the heat!). Then the power went off in the mall, probably due to the storm passing over, and we could not get food, and had to settle for Cervasa. Back on the bus and this time I was able to get us off within a few blocks of our abode. We ate in a nice Peruvian restaurent around the corner.
Unfortunately, this morning Joy has awoken with stuffed head and so we are laying lowat least for today. We did go out to check on the boat trip up the Paraguay River to Concepcion and found out that the water level was too low for any shipping in that portion of the river. We felt a little better after breakfast at the ´Lido Bar´one of the favourite eating places for locals and tourists alike. Joy ordered ´sopa Paraguayan´as the guide book told her she must, expecting a bowl of soup. The locals around looked at her funnily when she tried to get bread to go with it. When it arrived it turned out to be a cake-like affair made from corn and peanuts and not a liquid soup! She did quite enjoy it though.
We have been talking to a couple of folks at the hostel (he from Iran, she from the UK) and they are heading out tonight for the 30 hour drive to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, across the Chaco. This route is considered somewhat risky (extra long) during the rainy season. However, given that water levels in the 2 rivers we have seen so far are very low, maybe the 20 hour time frame they were given by the bus company may be more accurate. I think that tomorrow, or the day after, we will head to Bolivia via Argentina, assuming Joy is feeling better.
Bye for now,
Jim
Still in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.
Yesterday, being Sunday none of the museums or stores were open down town, so we planned to bus out to the ´Big Mall´. Unfortunately the day started with a twist as Joy decided (as I got out of the shower at 9am) that we should change hotels as she felt trapped in a room with a noisy air conditioner and a tv that was on accasionally. So we rushed to visit the new place which has much more character and is more atractive in a rustic way. We rushed back to pack and them checked out and ate the free breakfast at the hotel we were leaving and got settled in at the new place by 10:30. I must admit that I grumbled about the move, but it is much more to our liking and a little cheaper. It is called Residential San Roque and has two of our favourite (see how fast you can settle in?) eating places on the same corner.
After we settled in, we were off to try the local bus system to head to ´Museo del Bario´and ´Shopping del Sol´. We had checked out the buses and I followed carefully on the map. Good thing because this particular bus used a slightly different route than expected. The city buses go fast and somewhat recklessly (the term kamikaze is used in the guide book). The city gets so quiet on a Sunday that it was not nearly that exciting. Anyway, I figured a corner that was somewhat close and we got off and walked. After about a 2 hour walk in heat and more heat, we found the museo, to discover that it wasn´t open (although it was supposed to be). Fortunately the air-conditioned mall was open by this time and we were saved!
The main reason for going to the mall was to get some English language books, as Joy was out and I was getting close. While we found the books very expensive, particularly by Paraguayan standards, we bit the bullet and bought quite a few. Then it was off to the food court to think about lunch while sipping some cervasa (did I mention the heat!). Then the power went off in the mall, probably due to the storm passing over, and we could not get food, and had to settle for Cervasa. Back on the bus and this time I was able to get us off within a few blocks of our abode. We ate in a nice Peruvian restaurent around the corner.
Unfortunately, this morning Joy has awoken with stuffed head and so we are laying lowat least for today. We did go out to check on the boat trip up the Paraguay River to Concepcion and found out that the water level was too low for any shipping in that portion of the river. We felt a little better after breakfast at the ´Lido Bar´one of the favourite eating places for locals and tourists alike. Joy ordered ´sopa Paraguayan´as the guide book told her she must, expecting a bowl of soup. The locals around looked at her funnily when she tried to get bread to go with it. When it arrived it turned out to be a cake-like affair made from corn and peanuts and not a liquid soup! She did quite enjoy it though.
We have been talking to a couple of folks at the hostel (he from Iran, she from the UK) and they are heading out tonight for the 30 hour drive to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, across the Chaco. This route is considered somewhat risky (extra long) during the rainy season. However, given that water levels in the 2 rivers we have seen so far are very low, maybe the 20 hour time frame they were given by the bus company may be more accurate. I think that tomorrow, or the day after, we will head to Bolivia via Argentina, assuming Joy is feeling better.
Bye for now,
Jim
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Downtown in Asuncion
Hello Again from S.A.:
We left the ¨mountain-top¨as planned first thing yesterday morning and went down the mountain by taxi to the town of Atyra. After dropping our packs in the town office and finding out that they closed at noon, we did a walking tour of the beautiful town. It is really picturesque and it is too bad that there did not seem to be any over-night accomodation, or we would have been tempted to stay over another night or two. The hi-light of our walking tour was Joy´s ride on an ox-cart. The people here are very friendly and when I showed an interest in him hitching up his team (or is a brace?? I am certain that my terminology is offending ox people everywhere), he offered a ride which I let Joy take. She is prettier than I am and looked good in the chap´s hat on the back of his cart!
We then tried to make sense out of the bus system again and sat at the back of the very rustic bus terminal where we were assured the buses always passed. We were comfortable with the idea of catching a bus to Caacupe or to Asuncion and settled in with a cervasa grande (did I say that it was very hot!). We managed to get our packs aboard a bus bound for Asuncion and then found that all roads lead through Caacupe, but this time it was a paved road all the way, unlike the dirt road on our way to Atrya. The 60kms took 2 hours which were filled with watching the sights, sounds, and people of Paraguay. Anyone who comes to one of these countries and misses the rides on the local buses, really is missing out. In her blog, I know that Joy will tell about all the various vendors who get on the buses to sell everything up to underwear to the passengers before getting off at the next opportunity.
Anyway, we got here and using the handy guide which is accurate sometimes we are in a nice hotel in the heart of old Asuncion. On the negative side, we are close to the river and, although we have not seen a mosquito since Sao Paulo, there is a concern with Dengue fever here and we wear ¨Ben´s¨everywhere. Also the area between here and the river is somewhat dangerous and the police turned us back yesterday afternoon when we headed that direction. We were a little nervous last night when we went to pick up our laundry after dark. We even have a metal screen for our window in the hotel, even though it is a second story window!
Today we did the walking tour of downtown and saw many of the historical and cultural sights of the city. There were some beautiful colonial buildings and the legislative building is a spectacular mirrored design which happened to be reflecting a wonderful sky. It has also included what appeared to be a facade of an old building imbedded in part of it. Some of the houses that we were in dated to 1750 and included the house in which Paraguayan independence was arranged. We also saw the train museum and I again took some great pictures for Derm English, like I did last year. Derm is one of those train people and he would have loved this place. There are no more trains in Paraguay except one weekend tourist train that goes a short distance to a lake near the capital. Of course, there are very few trains of any kind operating in South America as roads and buses have taken over. But every little village has a bus coming or going from it and they are heavily used and cheap.
I am sure that Joy will talk about the restaurent that we went to a noon today. Of course, it was highly recommended in the ¨guide¨, but the meal was tasteless and will take it off our list of places to eat. Tonight we will try another, once the temperature starts to drop. It is easy to see why people don´t eat until after 7pm and why businesses tend to close at noon on Friday. In the heat it is hard to do much.
Our future plans are still in the formulation stage. The boat up the Paraguay River to Conception doesn´t go until Wednesday morning, so we are considering heading to Resistancia in Argentina. We are here until Monday at least.
Enough for now.
Jim
We left the ¨mountain-top¨as planned first thing yesterday morning and went down the mountain by taxi to the town of Atyra. After dropping our packs in the town office and finding out that they closed at noon, we did a walking tour of the beautiful town. It is really picturesque and it is too bad that there did not seem to be any over-night accomodation, or we would have been tempted to stay over another night or two. The hi-light of our walking tour was Joy´s ride on an ox-cart. The people here are very friendly and when I showed an interest in him hitching up his team (or is a brace?? I am certain that my terminology is offending ox people everywhere), he offered a ride which I let Joy take. She is prettier than I am and looked good in the chap´s hat on the back of his cart!
We then tried to make sense out of the bus system again and sat at the back of the very rustic bus terminal where we were assured the buses always passed. We were comfortable with the idea of catching a bus to Caacupe or to Asuncion and settled in with a cervasa grande (did I say that it was very hot!). We managed to get our packs aboard a bus bound for Asuncion and then found that all roads lead through Caacupe, but this time it was a paved road all the way, unlike the dirt road on our way to Atrya. The 60kms took 2 hours which were filled with watching the sights, sounds, and people of Paraguay. Anyone who comes to one of these countries and misses the rides on the local buses, really is missing out. In her blog, I know that Joy will tell about all the various vendors who get on the buses to sell everything up to underwear to the passengers before getting off at the next opportunity.
Anyway, we got here and using the handy guide which is accurate sometimes we are in a nice hotel in the heart of old Asuncion. On the negative side, we are close to the river and, although we have not seen a mosquito since Sao Paulo, there is a concern with Dengue fever here and we wear ¨Ben´s¨everywhere. Also the area between here and the river is somewhat dangerous and the police turned us back yesterday afternoon when we headed that direction. We were a little nervous last night when we went to pick up our laundry after dark. We even have a metal screen for our window in the hotel, even though it is a second story window!
Today we did the walking tour of downtown and saw many of the historical and cultural sights of the city. There were some beautiful colonial buildings and the legislative building is a spectacular mirrored design which happened to be reflecting a wonderful sky. It has also included what appeared to be a facade of an old building imbedded in part of it. Some of the houses that we were in dated to 1750 and included the house in which Paraguayan independence was arranged. We also saw the train museum and I again took some great pictures for Derm English, like I did last year. Derm is one of those train people and he would have loved this place. There are no more trains in Paraguay except one weekend tourist train that goes a short distance to a lake near the capital. Of course, there are very few trains of any kind operating in South America as roads and buses have taken over. But every little village has a bus coming or going from it and they are heavily used and cheap.
I am sure that Joy will talk about the restaurent that we went to a noon today. Of course, it was highly recommended in the ¨guide¨, but the meal was tasteless and will take it off our list of places to eat. Tonight we will try another, once the temperature starts to drop. It is easy to see why people don´t eat until after 7pm and why businesses tend to close at noon on Friday. In the heat it is hard to do much.
Our future plans are still in the formulation stage. The boat up the Paraguay River to Conception doesn´t go until Wednesday morning, so we are considering heading to Resistancia in Argentina. We are here until Monday at least.
Enough for now.
Jim
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Lost on a Mountain-top in Paraguay
Hola All:
Joy is much more poetic about this place. We left Caacupe with a plan. Arnaldo had told us of this village called Atyra which was famous for it´s beauty and had competed for one of those ´most beautiful town´awards. So we packed our bags and headed for the street that the buses stopped on. Thanks to Zulma from the Caacupe municipal office, we knew which bus to look for. Of course, that meant standing in the heat for about 45 minutes. On the bus and off for $1 each and admising the beauty of the country when the road turned to a dirt road. Oh well, as Joy is tired of hearing, in for a pound, in for a penny (or is the other way around). Anyway we arrived in Atyra and got off in what appeared to be the middle of town. By now I was over-confident in my Spanish and we asked the nearest lady where the hotel might be. That resulted in a heated discussion with another lady passing by and then our new ámigo´took us to the municipal office. We had been alerted by Zulma that Gustavo worked there, but it turns out that he doesn´t. They were very helpful but the only hotel seemed to be about 3 km out of town, which by the way, does seem very beautiful.
The chap that was helping us decided that the ´Casa delmonte´was the answer to our needs and got us a taxi (we thought that it was a free ride by a friend, but it turned out to be a $10 cab ride). Well, the Casa delmonte turns out to be an up-scale resort on the top of one of the small mountains that dot the Paraguayan landscape. More expensive than we are used to and very isolated. Joy, being a good sport, said that we could use the days off and proceeded to do 2 portraits of me (a waste of good paint many would say). So we have basically ´vegged´and swam and sipped cervasa for 2 days.
Tomorrow we plan to get back to Atyra early and spend the day wandering around the town before grabbing a bus back to Caacupe in hopes that we can get a room back in the same hotel. Meanwhile it has rained (some thunder and lightning) since last night, so the temperature is down to a comfortable 20C or so.
Bye Bye for now
Jim
Joy is much more poetic about this place. We left Caacupe with a plan. Arnaldo had told us of this village called Atyra which was famous for it´s beauty and had competed for one of those ´most beautiful town´awards. So we packed our bags and headed for the street that the buses stopped on. Thanks to Zulma from the Caacupe municipal office, we knew which bus to look for. Of course, that meant standing in the heat for about 45 minutes. On the bus and off for $1 each and admising the beauty of the country when the road turned to a dirt road. Oh well, as Joy is tired of hearing, in for a pound, in for a penny (or is the other way around). Anyway we arrived in Atyra and got off in what appeared to be the middle of town. By now I was over-confident in my Spanish and we asked the nearest lady where the hotel might be. That resulted in a heated discussion with another lady passing by and then our new ámigo´took us to the municipal office. We had been alerted by Zulma that Gustavo worked there, but it turns out that he doesn´t. They were very helpful but the only hotel seemed to be about 3 km out of town, which by the way, does seem very beautiful.
The chap that was helping us decided that the ´Casa delmonte´was the answer to our needs and got us a taxi (we thought that it was a free ride by a friend, but it turned out to be a $10 cab ride). Well, the Casa delmonte turns out to be an up-scale resort on the top of one of the small mountains that dot the Paraguayan landscape. More expensive than we are used to and very isolated. Joy, being a good sport, said that we could use the days off and proceeded to do 2 portraits of me (a waste of good paint many would say). So we have basically ´vegged´and swam and sipped cervasa for 2 days.
Tomorrow we plan to get back to Atyra early and spend the day wandering around the town before grabbing a bus back to Caacupe in hopes that we can get a room back in the same hotel. Meanwhile it has rained (some thunder and lightning) since last night, so the temperature is down to a comfortable 20C or so.
Bye Bye for now
Jim
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
This Place is Caacupe!
Hi Again:
We left Caaguasu yesterday morning, heading, with our packs, for the noise and confusion of the bus depot. After the bus company that we ahd come to Caaguasu with, showed no interest in sending us further, one of the many guys with white shirts adopted us as one of his passengers and had us sit down and wait in his spot. These men appear to be front guys for bus companies and sell tickets and then get you on the bus. Anyway, we followed orders and sat down. A couple of guys next to us were sharing a mate´and we finally had the opportunity to share in the experience. Turns out that cold mate´is called something like ´terrera´and mate´is hot. Anyway we did try it out and found it a pleasant cool drink that did help in the heat. We exchanged Canada pins and one chap insisted that I pin his on.
Getting on the bus was a different experience as we were alerted that this was our bus by both our new friends and the bus guy and raced for it with a small crowd of others. After we got our packs checked and got to the back of the line-up they were in the process of packing people in very slowly one push at a time. Despite my visions of the bus leaving with our packs because it was full, Joy and I were the last packed in. I stood facing toward the back of the bus for 2 hours while Joy was able to get a seat at the halfway point. Such is bus travel in South America unless you pay the price and are travelling between major points.
We arrived in Caacupe and found a hotel quickly. While Joy hates the decor (I don´t notice those things), the room has an industrial strength air conditioner which is very welcome. Last night there was a spectacular lightning and thunder storm with heavy rain and today the air is a little lighter and cooler(?). We did a good tour of the town yesterday, but got a better one today. During yesterday´s walk we spotted a municiple building of some sort and today we went back. Using my Spanish (for which I am rapidly becoming known) I asked a man in an office for tourist information. He dropped everything and took us to another office and introduced us to Zulma, a young lady who he said was the department of tourist information. Turned out that Zulma knew a little English and she volunteered to take us on a 2 hour tour of the town. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail, we would call lucky events like that ´trail magic´. Anyway, the hi-light of the tour and of Caacupe is the 200 year old church. Along the walls of the stairs leading to the walk-way around the top of the central dome, is an interesting legend surrounding the creation of a statue of the Madonna by an indigenous carver. After his village prospered under the protection of Mary, it was destroyed by a flood and a few people were saved, as was the Madonna. She is the centre piece of the sancturary today. The legend was portray in the stairway by paintings on the wall as you went up. The view from the roof was also special.
Joy is out sketching, and I feel an air-conditioned siesta coming on.
Bye for now
Jim
We left Caaguasu yesterday morning, heading, with our packs, for the noise and confusion of the bus depot. After the bus company that we ahd come to Caaguasu with, showed no interest in sending us further, one of the many guys with white shirts adopted us as one of his passengers and had us sit down and wait in his spot. These men appear to be front guys for bus companies and sell tickets and then get you on the bus. Anyway, we followed orders and sat down. A couple of guys next to us were sharing a mate´and we finally had the opportunity to share in the experience. Turns out that cold mate´is called something like ´terrera´and mate´is hot. Anyway we did try it out and found it a pleasant cool drink that did help in the heat. We exchanged Canada pins and one chap insisted that I pin his on.
Getting on the bus was a different experience as we were alerted that this was our bus by both our new friends and the bus guy and raced for it with a small crowd of others. After we got our packs checked and got to the back of the line-up they were in the process of packing people in very slowly one push at a time. Despite my visions of the bus leaving with our packs because it was full, Joy and I were the last packed in. I stood facing toward the back of the bus for 2 hours while Joy was able to get a seat at the halfway point. Such is bus travel in South America unless you pay the price and are travelling between major points.
We arrived in Caacupe and found a hotel quickly. While Joy hates the decor (I don´t notice those things), the room has an industrial strength air conditioner which is very welcome. Last night there was a spectacular lightning and thunder storm with heavy rain and today the air is a little lighter and cooler(?). We did a good tour of the town yesterday, but got a better one today. During yesterday´s walk we spotted a municiple building of some sort and today we went back. Using my Spanish (for which I am rapidly becoming known) I asked a man in an office for tourist information. He dropped everything and took us to another office and introduced us to Zulma, a young lady who he said was the department of tourist information. Turned out that Zulma knew a little English and she volunteered to take us on a 2 hour tour of the town. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail, we would call lucky events like that ´trail magic´. Anyway, the hi-light of the tour and of Caacupe is the 200 year old church. Along the walls of the stairs leading to the walk-way around the top of the central dome, is an interesting legend surrounding the creation of a statue of the Madonna by an indigenous carver. After his village prospered under the protection of Mary, it was destroyed by a flood and a few people were saved, as was the Madonna. She is the centre piece of the sancturary today. The legend was portray in the stairway by paintings on the wall as you went up. The view from the roof was also special.
Joy is out sketching, and I feel an air-conditioned siesta coming on.
Bye for now
Jim
Sunday, January 11, 2009
If This is Saturday, It must Be Caaguasu!
Hi Folks:
Having made the decision to follow Arnaldos advice and head for Caaguasu first we were off Saturday morning on a great San Luis double deck bus. Watched the fight to escape the traffic of Cuidad del Este and the numerous police check-points. When the 4 lane road reduced to 2 lanes, we also watched the creative driving of the driver as he tried to make up time. The scenery was a very many fields, all quite large by Maritime standards. The crops appeared to be soy bean and sugar cane and the farm buildings were more like small factories, many owned by obviously large companies.
We arrived at Caaguasu not knowing anything about the town other than that Arnaldos wife came from here. We arrived at the confusion of the bus stop at the edge of Ruta 7 and after checking out a nearby hotel (not to our minimalist standards), we hoisted our packs and headed toward the centre of town. At the first building that looked like it might be associated with government, Joy decided that I should approach the young woman at the desk. After she tried to give us brochures for admission to a technical school (it was their office), I remembered a few words and asked for ´el hotel bonito´which I hoped meant a beautiful hotel. She seemed to understand and directed us to ´Cesar Palace Hotel´(no kidding) by the town plaza. It was a 4 block hike at 35C, but the hotel is very nice and quite reasonable. It is in the centre of town and next to a big ´supermercado´(supermarket) which is important in my search for a small bottle (mickey) of rum. But more of that later.
Caaguasu is a perfect town for us as we are away from the tourists and have a chance to see how the real people of Paraguay live (thank you Arnaldo). We are also in a smaller town and feel quite safe to wander the streets as the people are too busy with the ordinary concerns of living to worry about the 2 strangers in their midst. They are friendly and curious but not in any kind of negative way. Yesterday we wandered the town stopping for siesta, cervasa, and ice cream, and joy did a sketch. Last night we sipped wine on the hotel balcony watching the usual Saturday night activities of small towns everywhere; driving around the main roads. Joy felt right at home being from Owen Sound where they did the same thing on a Saturday night in her day. By the way, I skunked her at rummy for the second straight time.............. oh, oh I wasn´t supposed to say that!
Back to the rum search. Those that know me know that I like an occasional sip of Bacardis Black rum. Also when travelling, especially carrying a pack, I would like to find the small bottle of same (what we used to call a ´mickey´back in the day) to take with me. Well, we have discovered that people in Brazil and Paraguay seem to be invenerate Scotch drinkers! While this may be helpful when raising swine, I can see no possible reason why the supermercados would have row upon row of the most expensive bottles of this barbaric potion and yet very little of the ´nectar of the Gods´produced in places like Cuba. I continue my search and will scan every supermercado from here to La Paz, convinced of the justice of my quest. I is nice that I am not obsessive.
Joy is ready to leave the pleasure of this air-conditioned internet site, so I must go. May be siesta time.
Jim
Having made the decision to follow Arnaldos advice and head for Caaguasu first we were off Saturday morning on a great San Luis double deck bus. Watched the fight to escape the traffic of Cuidad del Este and the numerous police check-points. When the 4 lane road reduced to 2 lanes, we also watched the creative driving of the driver as he tried to make up time. The scenery was a very many fields, all quite large by Maritime standards. The crops appeared to be soy bean and sugar cane and the farm buildings were more like small factories, many owned by obviously large companies.
We arrived at Caaguasu not knowing anything about the town other than that Arnaldos wife came from here. We arrived at the confusion of the bus stop at the edge of Ruta 7 and after checking out a nearby hotel (not to our minimalist standards), we hoisted our packs and headed toward the centre of town. At the first building that looked like it might be associated with government, Joy decided that I should approach the young woman at the desk. After she tried to give us brochures for admission to a technical school (it was their office), I remembered a few words and asked for ´el hotel bonito´which I hoped meant a beautiful hotel. She seemed to understand and directed us to ´Cesar Palace Hotel´(no kidding) by the town plaza. It was a 4 block hike at 35C, but the hotel is very nice and quite reasonable. It is in the centre of town and next to a big ´supermercado´(supermarket) which is important in my search for a small bottle (mickey) of rum. But more of that later.
Caaguasu is a perfect town for us as we are away from the tourists and have a chance to see how the real people of Paraguay live (thank you Arnaldo). We are also in a smaller town and feel quite safe to wander the streets as the people are too busy with the ordinary concerns of living to worry about the 2 strangers in their midst. They are friendly and curious but not in any kind of negative way. Yesterday we wandered the town stopping for siesta, cervasa, and ice cream, and joy did a sketch. Last night we sipped wine on the hotel balcony watching the usual Saturday night activities of small towns everywhere; driving around the main roads. Joy felt right at home being from Owen Sound where they did the same thing on a Saturday night in her day. By the way, I skunked her at rummy for the second straight time.............. oh, oh I wasn´t supposed to say that!
Back to the rum search. Those that know me know that I like an occasional sip of Bacardis Black rum. Also when travelling, especially carrying a pack, I would like to find the small bottle of same (what we used to call a ´mickey´back in the day) to take with me. Well, we have discovered that people in Brazil and Paraguay seem to be invenerate Scotch drinkers! While this may be helpful when raising swine, I can see no possible reason why the supermercados would have row upon row of the most expensive bottles of this barbaric potion and yet very little of the ´nectar of the Gods´produced in places like Cuba. I continue my search and will scan every supermercado from here to La Paz, convinced of the justice of my quest. I is nice that I am not obsessive.
Joy is ready to leave the pleasure of this air-conditioned internet site, so I must go. May be siesta time.
Jim
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Off Day
Hi Folks:
Worried that as we get on the road tomorrow there may not be internet for a few days.
Last night after Chinese food in Paraguay, we played cards and for Kelsey´s benefit, I skunked your Mom at rummy.
This morning we got up with a mission, that being to find out where we will go tomorrow. I read in the guide that you could get tourist information if you went up a road to a government building and after signing in at the front desk, you asked to be directed. Well we found the building and using my best ¨Medino¨Spanish we were able to follow the front desk guy to an up-stairs guy, who then looked for another guy. He turned out to be Arnaldo Benitez who had been on a Rotary exchange to Ottawa and was able to understand our badly broken Spanish. More importantly we were able to get our wishes for the perfect visit to Paraguay across to him. As he was an International Trade Secretary, he called in the tourism secretary, Pedro, and between the 2 of them they did their best to sort out the poor Canadians. Apparently he was treated well in Canada and so owed a debt. Thank goodness that we were the beneficiaries.
Anyway tomorrow we take the bus off on the road toward Asuncion, but only as far as Arnaldo´s wife´s hometown of Caaguazu. We then have a number of stops along that road, most of which we will do before getting to Asuncion. After leaving Arnaldo´s office we were able to find the bus depot and line up a bus for tomorrow. On the way back, Joy was able to do a sketch of a beautiful tree over-hanging a display of ¨mate¨jugs for sale on the corner.
Everyone carries their ¨mate¨jugs with their ¨mate¨cups and special straws with a spoon shaped strainer at the end. If drinking ¨mate¨(a form of tea) becomes an Olympic sport, Paraguay wins hands-down.
This afternoon we vegged out watching the first of a series of thunderstorms arrive. Thankfully the air is much fresher after they pass. This being Paraguay we had lunch at a Japanese restaurent and pizza for dinner.
Off down the road tomorrow!
Jim
PS There is a bidet in the bathroom here, but I can´t figure out what it is for. You will have to ask Joy!
Worried that as we get on the road tomorrow there may not be internet for a few days.
Last night after Chinese food in Paraguay, we played cards and for Kelsey´s benefit, I skunked your Mom at rummy.
This morning we got up with a mission, that being to find out where we will go tomorrow. I read in the guide that you could get tourist information if you went up a road to a government building and after signing in at the front desk, you asked to be directed. Well we found the building and using my best ¨Medino¨Spanish we were able to follow the front desk guy to an up-stairs guy, who then looked for another guy. He turned out to be Arnaldo Benitez who had been on a Rotary exchange to Ottawa and was able to understand our badly broken Spanish. More importantly we were able to get our wishes for the perfect visit to Paraguay across to him. As he was an International Trade Secretary, he called in the tourism secretary, Pedro, and between the 2 of them they did their best to sort out the poor Canadians. Apparently he was treated well in Canada and so owed a debt. Thank goodness that we were the beneficiaries.
Anyway tomorrow we take the bus off on the road toward Asuncion, but only as far as Arnaldo´s wife´s hometown of Caaguazu. We then have a number of stops along that road, most of which we will do before getting to Asuncion. After leaving Arnaldo´s office we were able to find the bus depot and line up a bus for tomorrow. On the way back, Joy was able to do a sketch of a beautiful tree over-hanging a display of ¨mate¨jugs for sale on the corner.
Everyone carries their ¨mate¨jugs with their ¨mate¨cups and special straws with a spoon shaped strainer at the end. If drinking ¨mate¨(a form of tea) becomes an Olympic sport, Paraguay wins hands-down.
This afternoon we vegged out watching the first of a series of thunderstorms arrive. Thankfully the air is much fresher after they pass. This being Paraguay we had lunch at a Japanese restaurent and pizza for dinner.
Off down the road tomorrow!
Jim
PS There is a bidet in the bathroom here, but I can´t figure out what it is for. You will have to ask Joy!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Another Stamp!
Hello Folks
Now calling from the Hostel Austria in Puerto del Este, Paraguay and therefore, have another stamp in my passport. Only 9 pages left!
First thing this morning I thought that Joy was coming down with a problem because of the salad she had yesterday at the Parque de Iguazu, but the Dukerol kicked in and she was fine. Dukerol is an oral vaccine against Cholera with side protection against the usual Travellers D-------). So far we have not been too careful, other than using bottled water, and have not had any problems. Anyway while she rested a little after breakfast, I got our photo cards in for printing to a cd, picked up the laundry and got so Reales (pronounced hay-ice for reasons known only to the Brazilians). Then we were off to the Itaipu dam.
We managed to find the right municipal bus for the 45 minute ride to the dam. It was another clear blue sky (remember this is the rainy season) and scorching temperatures. I saw one temperature at 34C but I am certain that it hit at least 2 more degrees before the day was over. There are thunder storms forecast for Sunday so that may moderate the temperatures slightly.
The dam is no longer free as the guidebook said, but also not very expensive. You are treated to a propaganda film at the start saying how ethically responsible they were in building the dam and some of the activities they are doing now. They do not answer questions about the financing of the dam which must have been in the hundreds of billions of $s, not do they indicate the percentage of the income from the generation of 20% of Brazils power and 90% of Paraguays, that is used to carry out the good works. The dam is an impressive sight and generates more power than any other dam on earth. Even more than the Three Gorges dam in China. You drive across the bottom, under the massive spillways and back across the top. You are bombarded with engineering statistics which I am sure Joy will provide in her blog. It was worth the visit and it hurt a little when they indicated that they were acting in support of the Kyoto Accord and encouraged all the tourists to get their countries to do so as well. According to them over 32, 000 Canadians have been there in the ten years of operation.
After we gathered up our bags, we got a taxi for Paraguay. It seemed like too great a hassle to get on the municipal bus to Brazilian Immigration, then another to go to Paraguayan Immigration, and still another to the hostel . Using the same cab we made the two stops and got help with money changing (which was a hoot!) and ended at the Hostel Austria. There was no space at our first choice, Hostel Munich, which was next door and almost no space here. We had no third choice, but would have found one, I am sure. Anyway this place is so nice and air-conditioned that we decided to stay for 2 nights before heading on further into Paraguay. Another reason for the cab was the warning in the guide about the robberies on the very long bridge over the Parana River between Brazil and Paraguay. There was an obvious change in the standard of living and cleanliness as we arrived in Cuidad del Este. Anyway the hostel is great and has a number of roof top patios on which my artist wife can get away from me, the TV, and me again.
After a stroll (during which we discovered that the time had changed an hour), shopping at the Mona Lisa (an up-scale mall), a good meal at a Chinese restaurent,and a nap, we went grocery shopping. A bottle of Rum, wine, coke, water, cookies, crackers, and yogurt we paid the bill 61,000 Guaranies (about $15), but it was not Bacardis. I told you that the Guarani was a hoot. I was in the middle of this very dangerous street (according to the guide-book) exchanging $300 U.S. for 1,440,000 Guarani. Try counting that quickly! We will go to a bank next time and get a better rate, but given the circumstances at the time it was pretty bizarre.
Anyway we are safe in Paraguay for the next 2 nights.
Hast Luego
Jim
Now calling from the Hostel Austria in Puerto del Este, Paraguay and therefore, have another stamp in my passport. Only 9 pages left!
First thing this morning I thought that Joy was coming down with a problem because of the salad she had yesterday at the Parque de Iguazu, but the Dukerol kicked in and she was fine. Dukerol is an oral vaccine against Cholera with side protection against the usual Travellers D-------). So far we have not been too careful, other than using bottled water, and have not had any problems. Anyway while she rested a little after breakfast, I got our photo cards in for printing to a cd, picked up the laundry and got so Reales (pronounced hay-ice for reasons known only to the Brazilians). Then we were off to the Itaipu dam.
We managed to find the right municipal bus for the 45 minute ride to the dam. It was another clear blue sky (remember this is the rainy season) and scorching temperatures. I saw one temperature at 34C but I am certain that it hit at least 2 more degrees before the day was over. There are thunder storms forecast for Sunday so that may moderate the temperatures slightly.
The dam is no longer free as the guidebook said, but also not very expensive. You are treated to a propaganda film at the start saying how ethically responsible they were in building the dam and some of the activities they are doing now. They do not answer questions about the financing of the dam which must have been in the hundreds of billions of $s, not do they indicate the percentage of the income from the generation of 20% of Brazils power and 90% of Paraguays, that is used to carry out the good works. The dam is an impressive sight and generates more power than any other dam on earth. Even more than the Three Gorges dam in China. You drive across the bottom, under the massive spillways and back across the top. You are bombarded with engineering statistics which I am sure Joy will provide in her blog. It was worth the visit and it hurt a little when they indicated that they were acting in support of the Kyoto Accord and encouraged all the tourists to get their countries to do so as well. According to them over 32, 000 Canadians have been there in the ten years of operation.
After we gathered up our bags, we got a taxi for Paraguay. It seemed like too great a hassle to get on the municipal bus to Brazilian Immigration, then another to go to Paraguayan Immigration, and still another to the hostel . Using the same cab we made the two stops and got help with money changing (which was a hoot!) and ended at the Hostel Austria. There was no space at our first choice, Hostel Munich, which was next door and almost no space here. We had no third choice, but would have found one, I am sure. Anyway this place is so nice and air-conditioned that we decided to stay for 2 nights before heading on further into Paraguay. Another reason for the cab was the warning in the guide about the robberies on the very long bridge over the Parana River between Brazil and Paraguay. There was an obvious change in the standard of living and cleanliness as we arrived in Cuidad del Este. Anyway the hostel is great and has a number of roof top patios on which my artist wife can get away from me, the TV, and me again.
After a stroll (during which we discovered that the time had changed an hour), shopping at the Mona Lisa (an up-scale mall), a good meal at a Chinese restaurent,and a nap, we went grocery shopping. A bottle of Rum, wine, coke, water, cookies, crackers, and yogurt we paid the bill 61,000 Guaranies (about $15), but it was not Bacardis. I told you that the Guarani was a hoot. I was in the middle of this very dangerous street (according to the guide-book) exchanging $300 U.S. for 1,440,000 Guarani. Try counting that quickly! We will go to a bank next time and get a better rate, but given the circumstances at the time it was pretty bizarre.
Anyway we are safe in Paraguay for the next 2 nights.
Hast Luego
Jim
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
It´s Official!
Hi Folks:
No we are not expecting (10 are plenty)! We just want to make certain that anyone that comes here to see the magnificent Falls but only has one day, goes to see them from the Argentine side. We spent today in Argentina seeing the Falls after seeing them from the Brazilian side yesterday (new stamp in the passport). Finally all Marco´s hard work with our Spanish lessons paid off and I was able to order a Cervesa Grande y dos copas! I was so proud when I actually got a big beer with 2 glasses. I think that muttering something about a `gringo`was complementing me on my pronounciation.
The Argentine side of the Falls is less crowded and the walkways take you out over the edge of a number of the drops as well as down below the lip and to the bottom. Definitely a full day and a battle with the crowds all day. Definitely a worthwhile visit and the pictures will be spectacular (Joy´s). Joy was able to do a few sketches although a crowd always gathered and I have a great picture of an older Japanese lady asking Joy to move her head a little so that she could get a better picture of Joy and the sketch. Joy carries her own little crowd around in that box of paints. It really is quite interesting to watch.
I finally found a scorecard on Falls of the World in the Parque and the volume of water over the Foz du Iguaçu is about 1/3 of what goes over Niagara however it falls over a much wider area. Neither is the highest in the World, but these are certainly every bit as spectacular as Niagara.
It was another hot (32C+) day during the `rainy season`here in South America. Clear blue skies for the second day after the grey days of Sao Paulo. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same as we head for the big dam and then to ????? I think that Joy and I better have a meeting about that tonight.
Oh yes, in case I forget the important stuff, we did get our laundry in this morning!
See you next time,
Jim
No we are not expecting (10 are plenty)! We just want to make certain that anyone that comes here to see the magnificent Falls but only has one day, goes to see them from the Argentine side. We spent today in Argentina seeing the Falls after seeing them from the Brazilian side yesterday (new stamp in the passport). Finally all Marco´s hard work with our Spanish lessons paid off and I was able to order a Cervesa Grande y dos copas! I was so proud when I actually got a big beer with 2 glasses. I think that muttering something about a `gringo`was complementing me on my pronounciation.
The Argentine side of the Falls is less crowded and the walkways take you out over the edge of a number of the drops as well as down below the lip and to the bottom. Definitely a full day and a battle with the crowds all day. Definitely a worthwhile visit and the pictures will be spectacular (Joy´s). Joy was able to do a few sketches although a crowd always gathered and I have a great picture of an older Japanese lady asking Joy to move her head a little so that she could get a better picture of Joy and the sketch. Joy carries her own little crowd around in that box of paints. It really is quite interesting to watch.
I finally found a scorecard on Falls of the World in the Parque and the volume of water over the Foz du Iguaçu is about 1/3 of what goes over Niagara however it falls over a much wider area. Neither is the highest in the World, but these are certainly every bit as spectacular as Niagara.
It was another hot (32C+) day during the `rainy season`here in South America. Clear blue skies for the second day after the grey days of Sao Paulo. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same as we head for the big dam and then to ????? I think that Joy and I better have a meeting about that tonight.
Oh yes, in case I forget the important stuff, we did get our laundry in this morning!
See you next time,
Jim
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Bus Ride!
Hi Again:
We managed to get the Metro (scouting the previous day helped) and got our bus from Sao Paulo. After a long night, we are in Foz du Iguacu (or the `Foz`not to be confused with the `Fonz`from `Happy Days`). Iguacu is spelled with a ``ç`here in Brazil but across the river in Argentina it is Àguazu`and I have seen it spelled with an `s`as well. We dropped our bags at a hostel, after Joy negotiated down the price, and headed out right away for the falls (Foz) which is one of the reasons for this place existing. Amazing crowd of tourists as this is summer holidays and people come here to see the falls from all over the world. Also folks from Brazil and Argentina are here in great numbers. I must admit that I was tired and cranky after the bus and the temperature soaring to 32C didn´t help. I was quite appreciative when we got back to the room at 5pm so that I could shower and relax for a while. A few ice cold Cervaja (Yes, I learned one word in Portugese) and I feel almost human.
Oh yes, the falls. I almost forgot. They have a movement on to have them named one of the 7 wonders of the world. Well. they are no Bay of Fundy tides, but they are quite spectacular. It is not so much the height (80 Metres) but the breadth of them that impresses. After we did the line-ups and the crowds at the falls, we walked through the Park of Birds, featuring all sorts of exotic birds. We were quite disappointed that they were in cages, especially after seeing some of them in the wild in Bolivia last year.
Tomorrow looks like a semi-rest day when we will try to get some laundry done. Maybe in the morning we will go to see the local power dam which is the 2nd largest in the world after the Three Gorges Dam in China. So far this has been an èst`trip with the 4th largèst`city, one of the biggèst`falls and the 2nd biggèst`dam.
Off for some well-deserved sleep!
Jim
We managed to get the Metro (scouting the previous day helped) and got our bus from Sao Paulo. After a long night, we are in Foz du Iguacu (or the `Foz`not to be confused with the `Fonz`from `Happy Days`). Iguacu is spelled with a ``ç`here in Brazil but across the river in Argentina it is Àguazu`and I have seen it spelled with an `s`as well. We dropped our bags at a hostel, after Joy negotiated down the price, and headed out right away for the falls (Foz) which is one of the reasons for this place existing. Amazing crowd of tourists as this is summer holidays and people come here to see the falls from all over the world. Also folks from Brazil and Argentina are here in great numbers. I must admit that I was tired and cranky after the bus and the temperature soaring to 32C didn´t help. I was quite appreciative when we got back to the room at 5pm so that I could shower and relax for a while. A few ice cold Cervaja (Yes, I learned one word in Portugese) and I feel almost human.
Oh yes, the falls. I almost forgot. They have a movement on to have them named one of the 7 wonders of the world. Well. they are no Bay of Fundy tides, but they are quite spectacular. It is not so much the height (80 Metres) but the breadth of them that impresses. After we did the line-ups and the crowds at the falls, we walked through the Park of Birds, featuring all sorts of exotic birds. We were quite disappointed that they were in cages, especially after seeing some of them in the wild in Bolivia last year.
Tomorrow looks like a semi-rest day when we will try to get some laundry done. Maybe in the morning we will go to see the local power dam which is the 2nd largest in the world after the Three Gorges Dam in China. So far this has been an èst`trip with the 4th largèst`city, one of the biggèst`falls and the 2nd biggèst`dam.
Off for some well-deserved sleep!
Jim
Monday, January 5, 2009
Hi Folks:
Haven´t had a chance to up-date the last 2 days as the local internet hotspot was closed. Thanks to all who sent birthday greetings.
Very impressed with Sao Paulo. Before we came here all that I knew was that it was the 4th largest city in the World and very dangerous (according to the guides). We are on one of the main streets, but they do not rely on their horns to drive as was our experience in other South American cities. In fact, the silence is a little eerie, although a low pass by a jet fighter a few nights ago, and the medivac helicopters going to the many hospitals in the area have made up for it. The drivers here yield for pedestrians and signal to change lanes!
The weather here has been consistently in the low 20sC during the day with virtually continuous cloud and rain (usually very light) every day. I have picked up a few (3 so far) mosquito bites thanks to our open window and a late night visitor. I will have to be more careful especially after being handed a brochure on Dengue fever at the bus station yesterday.
I am certain that those who are following Joy´s blog will be given all the details of the galleries that we have been to over the past few days. Suffice to say that I have never seen works by so many famous artists (even Yoko Ono) in such a short time. I couldn´t help but speculate on the value of panels in the Musee de Arte de Sao Paulo (don´t check my Portugese spelling please) where you have a Gainsboroigh next to a Constable, next to Matisse, next to a (I forget, but you get the idea). And so well organized by subject matter (ie portraits, parks, domestic scanes, etc) and then by chronology showing the development of that subject over the years. We kept running into these marvellous galleries all day.
In our search for galleries we also found a great park which was filled with `Paulistas`on Sunday. Apparently everyone here runs, walks, bikes, roller blades or skateboards. It was a beautiful place with covered areas to carry on activities even if it rains. How civilized can you be. I would be remiss if I didn´t mention the spectacular architecture of the buildings and the uniform use of small vehicles (mostly new Fords, Fiats, VWs, Hondas).
Today we head out to Foz de Iguasu which is where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet. The falls are supposed to be huge and spectacular. We haven´t decided which country we will stay in tomorrow night, but tonight we sleep on the bus. It is a 15 hour ride, but we do have a `cami` which is either a bed or a chair that reclines. It was an adventure, as it always is, to get the tickets yeterday, but maybe it will get easier when we get to practice our Spanish in the next country.
See you next time.
Jim
Haven´t had a chance to up-date the last 2 days as the local internet hotspot was closed. Thanks to all who sent birthday greetings.
Very impressed with Sao Paulo. Before we came here all that I knew was that it was the 4th largest city in the World and very dangerous (according to the guides). We are on one of the main streets, but they do not rely on their horns to drive as was our experience in other South American cities. In fact, the silence is a little eerie, although a low pass by a jet fighter a few nights ago, and the medivac helicopters going to the many hospitals in the area have made up for it. The drivers here yield for pedestrians and signal to change lanes!
The weather here has been consistently in the low 20sC during the day with virtually continuous cloud and rain (usually very light) every day. I have picked up a few (3 so far) mosquito bites thanks to our open window and a late night visitor. I will have to be more careful especially after being handed a brochure on Dengue fever at the bus station yesterday.
I am certain that those who are following Joy´s blog will be given all the details of the galleries that we have been to over the past few days. Suffice to say that I have never seen works by so many famous artists (even Yoko Ono) in such a short time. I couldn´t help but speculate on the value of panels in the Musee de Arte de Sao Paulo (don´t check my Portugese spelling please) where you have a Gainsboroigh next to a Constable, next to Matisse, next to a (I forget, but you get the idea). And so well organized by subject matter (ie portraits, parks, domestic scanes, etc) and then by chronology showing the development of that subject over the years. We kept running into these marvellous galleries all day.
In our search for galleries we also found a great park which was filled with `Paulistas`on Sunday. Apparently everyone here runs, walks, bikes, roller blades or skateboards. It was a beautiful place with covered areas to carry on activities even if it rains. How civilized can you be. I would be remiss if I didn´t mention the spectacular architecture of the buildings and the uniform use of small vehicles (mostly new Fords, Fiats, VWs, Hondas).
Today we head out to Foz de Iguasu which is where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet. The falls are supposed to be huge and spectacular. We haven´t decided which country we will stay in tomorrow night, but tonight we sleep on the bus. It is a 15 hour ride, but we do have a `cami` which is either a bed or a chair that reclines. It was an adventure, as it always is, to get the tickets yeterday, but maybe it will get easier when we get to practice our Spanish in the next country.
See you next time.
Jim
Friday, January 2, 2009
From Sao Paulo
Hello All:
Arrived safely in Sao Paulo at 10am this morning. The flight from Texasto Washington, DC was very smooth in a tiny, 1/2 filled E170. The ride on the Big plane (Boeing 777) from Dulles was bumpy most of the way and the film quality was terrible. But I made it (thank you Bacardis and Karen).
We got settled in in a tiny room with a private bath and hot water so life is good. We are so glad that we took the Spanish classes here in Portugese-speaking Brazil. Weare almost back to last trip (sorry Marco), but we will see what happens when we get to a Spanish speaking country. We both had a power nap before checking out the neighbourhood. Haven´t found a grocery store other than one that is closed for rennovations. Of course with Joy, we quickly found the local gallery and saw a great display of Spanish development in electric light fixtures and another on Developement of chair styles over the years, including Joy´s favourite in gold by Dali.
We have eaten and found the local wine store so we will probably get some sleep tonight.
First impressions of Brazil is the driving! Unlike our previous experience in Peru and Bolivia, drivers here do not use horns just to scare the cats in the next county. That makes the city (4th largest in the world) very quiet. They also stop for pedestrians! Quite unsettling.
JIm
Arrived safely in Sao Paulo at 10am this morning. The flight from Texasto Washington, DC was very smooth in a tiny, 1/2 filled E170. The ride on the Big plane (Boeing 777) from Dulles was bumpy most of the way and the film quality was terrible. But I made it (thank you Bacardis and Karen).
We got settled in in a tiny room with a private bath and hot water so life is good. We are so glad that we took the Spanish classes here in Portugese-speaking Brazil. Weare almost back to last trip (sorry Marco), but we will see what happens when we get to a Spanish speaking country. We both had a power nap before checking out the neighbourhood. Haven´t found a grocery store other than one that is closed for rennovations. Of course with Joy, we quickly found the local gallery and saw a great display of Spanish development in electric light fixtures and another on Developement of chair styles over the years, including Joy´s favourite in gold by Dali.
We have eaten and found the local wine store so we will probably get some sleep tonight.
First impressions of Brazil is the driving! Unlike our previous experience in Peru and Bolivia, drivers here do not use horns just to scare the cats in the next county. That makes the city (4th largest in the world) very quiet. They also stop for pedestrians! Quite unsettling.
JIm
Thursday, January 1, 2009
We Are Off
Today at 4:30pm we leave for Washington, D.C. on our way to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The strange routing is a requirement of using "air miles". Anyways we have to go North to go South? We arrive in Brazil at 10 am tomorrow morning.
We have learned some things about Texas while we were here by treating this place as any other culture in which we are immersed. We discovered that Texas has culture (who'd have thunk). There is a spectacular private sculpture museum with Picasso's, Rodin's, etc in Dallas as well as a great art gallery. We also quite enjoyed the aquarium, which is worth the visit and has improved greatly since my last visit about 10 years ago. After the aquarium , Joy and I walked up to Dragon Street to view a number of private galleries in good space in old warehouses. Quite impressive! For both our trips downtown we use the "DART" rail system which combines a surface and sub-station rapid transit system which "morphs" into a street-car system downtown.
It is difficult to see the down-turn in the economy here as everyone madly goes about shopping and driving SUVs. It will be interesting to compare to Sao Paulo, as Brazil is doing well in the new "global" economy. We have not decided where we go from Sao Paulo, but it will be West or South West. We have booked a hostel in Sao Paulo for 3 nights to see some of the sights and also to get used to the environment.
Joy has done a couple of paintings here which you can see on her blog.
Jim
We have learned some things about Texas while we were here by treating this place as any other culture in which we are immersed. We discovered that Texas has culture (who'd have thunk). There is a spectacular private sculpture museum with Picasso's, Rodin's, etc in Dallas as well as a great art gallery. We also quite enjoyed the aquarium, which is worth the visit and has improved greatly since my last visit about 10 years ago. After the aquarium , Joy and I walked up to Dragon Street to view a number of private galleries in good space in old warehouses. Quite impressive! For both our trips downtown we use the "DART" rail system which combines a surface and sub-station rapid transit system which "morphs" into a street-car system downtown.
It is difficult to see the down-turn in the economy here as everyone madly goes about shopping and driving SUVs. It will be interesting to compare to Sao Paulo, as Brazil is doing well in the new "global" economy. We have not decided where we go from Sao Paulo, but it will be West or South West. We have booked a hostel in Sao Paulo for 3 nights to see some of the sights and also to get used to the environment.
Joy has done a couple of paintings here which you can see on her blog.
Jim
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